Tweaking

We’ve been tweaking our set ups all week. I’m about to start a number of weeks at a part time job – helping out with our upcoming federal election. It seems to have lit a fire to our ‘To Do’ list. The most fun has been finishing the chicken … house … palace … cafe? They seem to really like it – especially when it has rained and the ground outside is wet or cold. The inside of the coop has also been altered. We’ve lined up the perches and nesting boxes so they are along one wall. We had them ‘kitty corner’ … but that seemed to lead to some pecking order disputes. Having the newbies tucked in alongside the old girls seems to put them out of mind. Now … poor old Goldie seems to need a lift to get up there again. The past two nights I have found him sleeping on the floor either under the nesting boxes or against the door. I lifted him up tonight and he seemed quite pleased to be back in his normal digs. See those windows along that wall? I’ve been testing out an idea to make the place a solarium come the winter months. Thanks to Heidi (a great neighbour – mother of Little Grey – now known as Nate) we have a great selection of windows to line the southern and eastern walls. Quite pleased with that! Thank you Heidi and Gary!

The other big tweak has been in the goat house. I’ve been supplying the girls with free choice alfalfa pellets. We concocted a pvc tube feeder. It has needed a few adjustments and now sits at a very strange angle – but does keep filling up when they munch on them. I think I still need to fine tune this system. Dot has figured out how to scratch at it with her hoof to pull lots out onto the floor … I sat and watched her for a long time but cannot for the life of me figure out her motivation? Maybe it is just a playful thing … Don’t want her just emptying the tube that way. So I am toying with either putting a lip on the opening … or placing a feeder tray against the wall to catch what she pulls out.

A third tweaking project has been exploring ways to get my computer screen back. 😉 Both Smokey and Oz love to get up on my desk top when I am working. I decided to try out some of those YouTube videos for cats.

Seems to work! Ha! One side effect though has been that now they check out any screen to see if their favourite birds, chipmunks, squirrels or fish happen to be there. That includes the big television in the living room that plays the baseball games. Smokey especially loves to try to catch the fielders in Blue Jays games when they are showing the entire field.

MayMay has been working at improving her relationships with the jennies. They seem to notice that she has a tennis ball tiara and are back to following her around and allowing her all kind of opportunities. If she is up on the tractor both Darby and Rosie move right in to get their spa treatments (aka ear and mane nibbles). Rosie found her laying on the picnic table up in the woods and stood for the longest time resting her head on MayMay’s back. And not long after stood still to let MayMay use her back as a support to reach low hanging leaves. It is good to see. I am still not letting my guard down. The goats are out when I am out despite Darby’s braying to ask for that to change! I do NOT want the donkeys to have to put up with goat butts to their soft bellies. They are too gentle for that!

This is one of those ‘Find Waldo’ type shots. All five of the four legged critters are out in the woods. This little corner wraps around the far end of the goat’s habitat. For some reason the group will only go there if I am with them. I quite love it up there and it was so beautiful today that I soaked in the sound of the leaves, the sunshine and the quiet munching of the herd.

The days are cooling down nicely now. I think we have a humid day coming this week but mostly we are in the low 20’s or high teens. But what I love the most are the cool cool nights!! Down to single digits a number of times this week.

It sounds different and smells sooooo good through my window when I am up at night. I just roll to face the breeze, take a deep breath and find it easy to fall back asleep.

And in the mornings there is often a mist over the back fields. For some reason it makes me think of Camelot. The Mists of Avalon and all that …

I sure am thankful for the great summer we’ve had. A good growing season for our hay makers. A good season bug wise (as in fewer than usual). And it even looks like the oak trees are going to take a rest when it comes to making acorns this fall. I sure hope I haven’t jinxed that idea by mentioning it!

Hope you are having a good day your way!

Hugs from the Meadow Mice